Paul Fraser

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Paddy Considine is a good actor. He's one of those actors that you never really remember as a name, but you remember the face without a problem. He was Russell Crowe's union-petitioning friend in Cinderella Man, the sporadic manager of Joy Division in 24 Hour Party People, and the stressed-out, principled father in In America. Considine tends to be the better part of most of the films he's in, and Dead Man's Shoes is no exception to that opinion.

In the Midlands, Richard (Considine), a mentally-scarred soldier, has returned home. He hasn't returned to the house of his upbringing, but rather a small shed on an abandoned farm. See, Richard is home to take revenge on a small group of hoods. While he was away, these hoods, led by Shane (Gary Stretch), tortured and abused Richard's younger, mentally disabled brother (Toby Kebbell). After a prodding prank that involved painting the hoods on their faces and heads, Richard gets serious. The first body is found in the bathroom of the hangout, axe wounds a plenty. Richard dispatches them quickly and saves a reformed hood with a family. Not to be bested by any ghost movie, the film springs a trick ending which is, to say the least, uncalled for.

The first thing that hit me about TwentyFourSeven was the starkness of the black and white film and the bareness of the sets. That combined with the film's slow pacing and simple plot make the first half of the film feel very long.

At the center of TwentyFourSeven is Bob Hoskins as Darcy, a middle-aged man from a relatively rural area in England. Although not an obvious leader, Darcy finds the motivation within himself to open a boxing club for the local youth. It is his impression that this club, like the one he had as a teen, will restore camaraderie and pride to the troubled lads.

Jimmy (Robert Carlyle) is a low-life criminal who abandoned wife and child. It's been three years since he ran out on them and, one morning, he sees wife Shirley (Shirley Henderson) on a TV chat show being proposed to and rejecting her suitor. Sensing that she's moved up some in the world, this provokes him to stage a marital comeback and take advantage of what could be an opportunity. So, he finishes some business with his criminal chums, taking part in a small-time caper and, when it goes wrong, he absconds with the loot.

Meanwhile, downy-voiced, sexy Shirley lives with good-natured, easy going Dek (Rhys Ifans), her suitor on TV, and her daughter Marlene (Finn Atkins) in Dek's house. She and Dek profess their love for each other frequently enough to make you gag, which also makes you wonder why she would turn Dek down on national telly. Could she still feel something for the husband lurking somewhere out there in the badlands of Glasgow?

There's something sick about a 25-year-old man wanting to befriend kids the age of 12 or 13. But it makes for great cinema, especially when the guy is affable and goofy, like newcomer Paddy Considine's character Morell, in A Room for Romeo Brass. Once he gains the trust of his two adolescent pals Romeo and Knocks, the good times start to roll as the two boys ditch school and head for the hills in search of adventure with their newfound friend. Directed by Shane Meadows (TwentyFourSeven), the film is at its core a twisted comedy about a young boy, Romeo Brass (Andrew Shim), and his search for love, attention, and acceptance through his friends and in defiance of his family.

The story begins with Romeo and best friend Knocks (Ben Marshall) as inseparable pals who live as neighbors in suburban England. Knocks has a rare back disorder that requires surgery and keeps him constantly limping, but his family is supportive, especially his mother and father as they excitedly anticipate his recovery. Romeo, on the other hand, lives with his mother and older sister in a volatile household with no father figure. In fact, Romeo's estranged dad Joseph (Frank Harper), shows up right around the same time the boys encounter Morell.